Orihuela Costa Web Guide, Sierra de Escalona, Costa Blanca, Spain
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The
Sierra Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor is a natural
area located at the southern tip of the province of
Alicante, on the border with Murcia, a zona which
is characterized by filing a Mediterranean native
vegetation in a good state of preservation, formed
by pine forests with scrub typical Mediterranean highly
developed coscojas, mastic, palm hearts, and so on.
The
Sierra de Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor covers
a total of 4.697,6 hectares of the municipalities
of Orihuela, San Miguel de Salinas and Pilar de la
Horadada. This is a group formed by mountains, pine
forests, scrub and crops that make him a natural area
most important of the Commonwealth, which deserves
the highest degree of protection and therefore becomes
the number 23 of natural park of the Comunidad Valenciana.
In
the park are both rain-fed crops such as irrigation
- carob and olive trees, gardens and fruit-with a
large area of Aleppo pine forest cover. In the pine
forest understory plants are typical of these environments:
mastic (or kills Charneca), palm hearts, rockrose,
and aromatics like rosemary and thyme.
The
quality of this ecosystem and its proximity to other
natural areas (salt from San Pedro del Pinatar, Natural
Park gaps in the Mata and Torrevieja, and coastal
marine) makes this area keep important prey densities,
such as rabbits and carnivorous mammals as the cat,
with one of the best stocks in the southeast, gineta,
badgers, etc..
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The
future Natural Park Sierra de Escalona |
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The
future Natural Park of the Sierra Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor houses one of the best populations
of wild cat (Felis silvestris) from the Iberian
peninsula, as has assured the counselor of Land
and Housing, Esteban Gonzalez Pons.
Also, the area is one of the main areas of dispersion
perdicera eagle on the Peninsula, so that, according
Gonzalez Pons, "one can say that the Sierra
Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor stands out for
its rich fauna."
The
cat is classified as "special interest"
in the National Catalogue of Threatened Animals,
while the Bonelli's eagle is regarded as "Vulnerable",
both in the catalogue as Nacuinal in Valenciano,
"which obliges the Council to protect these
species, and in this regard the declaration of Natural
Park will be a major breakthrough. "
Together
these species in the Sierra de Escalona are other
birds of prey like owls, described as "special
interest", by the National Catalogue, the eagle
and culebrera Busard buzzard. As far as mammals,
are also represented La Gineta and badgers.
The
proximity of the mountains to wetlands of great
interest as the Parc Natural de las Lagunas de la
Mata and Torrevieja, the Salinas de San Pedro or
reservoir Pedrera, dramatically enriches the presence
of waterfowl.
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Vegetation
of the Sierra Escalona |
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Abundant
vegetation
The
vegetation of the mountain is abundant and varied,
highlighting the presence of many endemic species
or special interest as the cuchilleja (Bupleurum
gibraltaricum), Jarillo (Helianthemum Almeria),
Jarillo head cat (felis caput-Helianthemum), cantahueso
(Thymus morodei) fine and thyme (Thymus hyemalis).
Precautionary
Measures
Until
the declaration of Natural Park, governing in the
area and in their area of protection measures with
the aim of which can not be carried out actions
that modify or deteriorate substantially, irreversibly,
territorial and environmental realities.
So,
are subject to prior report, mandatory and binding
of the Ministry of Land and Housing, permits, licenses
and any type of administrative procedure laid down
in Article 28, paragraph 1, letter b) f) of Law
11/1994 of Natural Areas of Valencia.
In
the Sierra de Escalona can access through roads
AV-3011, AV-3501 and A-354 to perform a bicycle
routes, we can cross on foot across the Vereda de
la Sierra de Escalona, former track livestock that
can take into the Port of Rebate.
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